


Take Your Swing

by starktony (noblydonedonnanoble)



Category: Supernatural
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-13
Updated: 2012-08-13
Packaged: 2017-11-12 00:48:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/484772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noblydonedonnanoble/pseuds/starktony
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>High school AU; Cas is bullied and Dean stands up for him. (prompt given by an Anon on tumblr)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Take Your Swing

                Castiel can pinpoint to himself the exact moment when he went wrong—he turned into an alley while in a part of town he didn’t know very well. Really, he has no idea why that even _seemed_ like a good idea. Because now, he’s at a dead end and he’s cornered by three assholes and his phone is dead and he doesn’t know what to do.

                There are so many boys at the high school who bully Cas that he doesn’t even know all of their names (most likely, even fewer of them know his); off the top of his head, he doesn’t recognize any of these three. Not that it matters, because they’re going to beat him up regardless of the fact that he’s entirely unfamiliar with them.

                Right now, there’s still a fair bit of distance between the boys and Castiel. Now that he’s entirely stuck, they don’t seem too worried that he’ll get away. They’ve spread themselves a few strides apart, so that if he tries to run in any direction one of them will catch him.

                “You look a little lost, pretty boy!” One of them takes a few steps closer. He holds himself more confidently than the other two, and is leering at Cas in a way that makes him incredibly uncomfortable.

                “I’m lost because I was trying to get away from you,” he says. He always tries to put on a brave front, but his voice is shaking and he flinches slightly as the sound of it hits his own ears.

                “Why on earth would you want to do that?” Looking at his other two friends and grinning briefly, he throws his hands up in the air and shouts, “What do you have against us? I’m offended.”

                “Oh, it’s nothing personal,” Cas snarls. “For some reason, I don’t like having to go home and clean blood off my face every other day. Call me crazy.”

                One of them laughs, but he stops abruptly with just a look from the others.

                “You’ve got quite an attitude, haven’t you?”

                “Yes, I’ve honed it over the years by reading and actually exercising my brain. Which is something I don’t think you all would know about.”

                The fact that Castiel makes such a direct attack on their intelligence doesn’t even phase them. They just come closer.

                As much as he hates getting punched and kicked and having to clean up blood, Cas has reached a point where he’s fairly desensitized to the actual beating and the initial pain that accompanies it. So when the first blows come, he is mentally and physically prepared. One of the punches to his jaw is hard enough that he’s knocked to the ground, and he takes the opportunity to curl up into himself because the less surface area, the better.

                It stops very abruptly.

                “Do you guys really have nothing better to do than pick on that poor kid?”

                “Do you really think you could take on all three of us at once?” one of them replies.

                “Do you really want to take the chance to find out?”

                They mutter amongst themselves for a moment. Cas hears footsteps as they retreat, but waits for them to fade to nothing before looking up.

                But he’s still not alone.

                The boy is standing some distance away, as though he’s worried that Cas will panic at the sight of him. But when Cas makes no indication of moving, he takes a few step forward. “Are you… are you okay?”

                “Do I look okay?”

                Unlike the three guys who just left him, Castiel does recognize this boy: Dean Winchester. As far as people at school go, Dean tends to fly under the radar; he’s not popular, but he’s not on the list of easily accessible punching bags.

                To Cas, though, he is certainly known. In the few classes they had together, he noticed that however much Dean puts up a front, he is _smart_. He understands things, but doesn’t show off about it. Cas likes that.

                “No.” Dean chuckles darkly. “No, I guess not. I…” He frowns a little bit. “I’m Dean.”

                “I know.” Cas shifts, attempting to stand by using a garbage can for support, but he stumbles. Dean rushes forward, one hand grabbing at his waist and the other on the opposite arm. Cas flushes and stands up straight, nudging Dean away. “I’m Castiel.”

                “I know.”

                “Oh.” They both remain silent for a moment, then Dean stoops to the ground and retrieves Cas’ backpack and books. “Thank you, I guess. For, um, making them go away.”

                Dean waves this off. “Don’t worry about it. I got into a fight with two of those guys in middle school, knocked ‘em senseless. They’ve been pretty good about avoiding me since. Now, c’mon. Let’s get you cleaned up.”

                Cas’ eyes grow wide. “No, that’s really not necessary. That was a light beating compared to what I’m used to, thanks to you. I’ll just go home. It’ll only take a few minutes.”

                “Okay. If you can tell me with certainty which direction you turn at the end of this alley to get home, I’ll let you go.” Cas stares blankly. “’S what I thought. Like you said, it will only take a few minutes. Then I’ll drive you home.”

                Without waiting for a response, Dean crosses to the other side of the alley, and opens a gate in the fence. He turns back and looks at him pointedly.

                The Winchester family residence is quiet when the two boys enter it. Cas can’t help but notice first thing that the house is smaller than his own—although considering the fact that he had five siblings, his family _needed_ a house larger than this purely to prevent them from ripping each other apart. Lately, that hasn’t been as much of a problem as they filter off to go to college, but Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks are still hell.

                “My parents are at some award ceremony at the middle school with my brother, Sammy. I was there too, but I left early and was walking back home when—“ When he came across Cas. Yes. “Yeah. So it’s just you and me.” He points at the kitchen table. “Sit. I’ll go get some towels and bandages.”

                While Dean is gone, Cas fidgets, glancing around the room and praying to God that the rest of the Winchesters won’t return while he’s left alone. He didn’t think Dean knew who he was, but his family certainly doesn’t so it would be best to avoid that conversation.

                Thankfully, Dean _does_ come back, wielding a few rags, a bucket of water, and a box of band-aids. “Okay. Let’s see here.”

                He perches on a stool, holding a rag at Castiel’s temple first, where he’d received a well-placed kick. “Y’know, you take a beating pretty well, considering how small you are.”

                “I’ve gotten used to it.” Cas mutters. As an afterthought, he adds, “And I’m not that small.”

                Almost as though talking to himself, Dean murmurs, “Cas, you’re small. It’s endearing, don’t worry about it.”

                Castiel doesn’t know what to say. He’s slightly stunned by Dean referring to him as Cas, but even more so by the fact that he called him endearing. There’s nowhere to go from there—at least as far as he can see.

                So they sit in silence for some time, Cas’ eyes wandering around the room and absorbing the details while Dean stares intently at the other boy’s face.

                He kind of likes it, Dean looking at him so closely. Even if it is just because there happens to be blood on him everywhere.

                “How did you know my name?” Castiel says eventually.

                “How did you know mine?”

                “I asked you first.”

                Dean leans back and sits up straight. It seems like he doesn’t particularly want to answer the question, but after a moment he does anyway. “Well, we were in class a few times together. And I’m good at remembering names of my classmates. But I also thought you seemed pretty cool.” He leans forward again and resumes work on Cas’ nose. “And you?”

                “You’re smart.”

                The other boy pauses, looks at Castiel with raised eyebrows. “You know my name because I’m smart.”

                “I… well…” Cas stumbles over his words, suddenly uncertain. “I guess, yeah. You put on a front and act tough, but you’re smart. So I know your name.”

                Both of them fall silent again while Dean considers this statement.

                “I’m not that smart,” he says after a while. “Sam’s the smart one.”

                Cas shakes his head, which results in Dean practically hitting him in the jaw. The two of them laugh slightly, but then Cas whispers, “You’re smart. You’re just subtle about it. I like that.”

                The door opens and Dean jumps up at the sound. Mary Winchester walks into the kitchen first, and by the time she appears Dean is on the other side of the room, throwing the blood-stained rags into the garbage.

                “Dean, I thought we agreed you wouldn’t have friends over tonight,” she says, glancing at Cas. She smiles at him, though, and he gets the feeling that it’s entirely genuine. He likes parents who don’t act nice to their children’s friends just for show.

                He glances over at Cas and then sighs. “Mom, I found him in the—“

                “I only just stopped by, Mrs. Winchester,” Cas interrupts, standing and striding forward with a smile of his own. “Dean told me that he couldn’t have anyone over, so he was just about to drive me home.”

                The two boys exchange a glance, but Dean nods. “Yeah. D’you mind? It’ll only take like fifteen minutes.”

                Mary looks between them for a second, but then just shrugs. “I suppose. Just hurry back, Dean. Your father bought a cake for Sam and we want to all eat it together.”

                Dean’s already ushering Castiel out the door and grabbing his keys from a rack beside it when he’s saying, “I will, Mom!”

                When they reach the garage, Dean says, “She wouldn’t have cared, you know. Probably would have been concerned. I mean, she looked concerned as it was, but even more so.”

                Cas waves this off. “No. That would have just complicated things.”

                After Cas gives Dean his address, they drive in silence almost the entire way.

                “I’m really not that smart.”

                “I’m really not that cool,” Cas retorts.

                “You’re very cool.”

                “And you’re very smart.”

                They pull into the driveway and Dean turns the car off, adjusting in his seat so that he can look at Cas more carefully. “You sure you’re okay?”

                Cas shrugs. “Yeah. I… Thank you, Dean.” He opens the door and moves to get out, but then turns to look at Dean as another thought occurs to him. “So am I, like, expected to never talk with you again? See you in the hallways and maybe we nod cordially at each other, that’s it?”

                “That would be a pretty big asshole move…” Dean smirks slightly.

                “I don’t have many friends ‘cause people don’t want to risk being seen as a punching bag. I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t want that for yourself—I certainly don’t.”

                Dean blinks at Cas for a few seconds, not answering.

                He feels a sudden pang of disappointment because Dean said he was cool, and because Dean seems to like him, but Dean doesn’t want to put himself in an unpleasant situation.

                So he makes another move to leave.

                “Cas.”

                And then Cas is turning again and Dean is suddenly straining against his seat belt, pulling Cas by his shirt and he’s kissing him, so lightly, so gently and with such care. All thoughts immediately leave Cas’ head because good Lord Dean’s lips are actually on his and wow this is actually happening.

                But then it’s not happening anymore and Dean pushes Cas away, just as softly. He settles back into his seat, looks at Cas with innocent eyes. “I’ll see you at school tomorrow, Cas.”

                Castiel stands on his doorstep, staring after Dean’s car until it’s around the corner and long gone. 


End file.
